Members of the Hobo Day Committee are becoming increasingly busy with preparations for the 2015 Hobo Day celebration as its 103rd anniversary approaches.

Paul Dybedahl, this year’s Grand Pooba, said the committee has been adding in the final details for everything and discussing any final brainstorms.

“Things have really picked up now since everybody is back on campus,” Dybedahl said. “We like to say that we plan in the spring and implement in the fall.” 

The committee spent the summer months promoting Hobo Day with the summer parade tour, where they drove the Bum Mobile in over a dozen parades throughout the state. 

“We basically had a parade every weekend. We went as far as Custer and stayed as close as Brookings,” Dybedahl said. 

Kelli Garry, a member of the events team subcommittee, spent much of her summer planning out routes and clues for the Great Hobo Race event. 

“The summer is really chill for us,” Garry said. “In the spring, we laid out the ground rules for what had to be done. Depending on the events or committee, you would talk to your assistant pooba and ask questions.”

Though she had an internship in Kansas City this summer, Garry talked with her assistant pooba often, making sure plans were coming together for this year’s Great Hobo Race. 

In the Great Hobo Race, teams of four run around campus and learn about campus and the history of SDSU. One of the biggest changes for this year’s race is more “Amazing Race”-style challenges, with more mental challenges rather than solely a foot race like it has been in the past.

Dybedahl said the committee hopes to see more hobo-mobiles in the parade this year.

“Hobo-mobiles used to be a big thing in the 90s. It’s basically a hobo home on wheels,” he said. 

Some other changes this year include moving Bum-A-Meal from Wednesday to Tuesday and the Great Hobo Race to Wednesday night before the Miss Homelycoming Pageant. 

This year will also feature a specific Hobo Day tailgate, which will take place between the parade and the football game. It will be open to everyone as a place for students and alumni to gather for networking and food.

Hobo Day will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24 this year.